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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a lid
  3. toast — bread
  4. saw — the tool
  5. press — newspapers
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — a company
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — farmland
  11. firm — steady
  12. press — to push
  13. field — for sport
  14. mug — a face
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. press — a publisher
  17. hand — help
  18. cap — a hat
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mug — a cup
  22. field — a subject
  23. mug — to rob
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com